The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-01-13

the pointing, or win you wait for the beck
oninga Blessed be God that the little
Hebrew captive pointed in the right direc-
toni Blessed be God for the saving min
istry of Christian childrenl
No wonder the advice of this little He
brew captive threw all Naaman's mansion
and Ben hadad's palace into excitement
Goodbye, Naaman! With face scarified
and rigid and infamed by the pestilence,
and aided by those who supported him on
either side, he staggers out to the chariot
Hold fast the fiery coursers of the royal
stable while the poor sick man lifts his
swollen feet and pain-struck limbs into the
vehicle. Bolster him up with the pillows
and let him take lingering look at his
bright apartment, for perhaps that He
brew captive may be mistaken, and the
next time Naanan comes to that palace he
may be dead weight on the shoulders of
those who carry him-an expired chieftain
seeking sculpture amid the lamentations OF
an admiring nation. Goodbye, Naamanl
Let the charloteer drive gently over the
hills Of Hermon, lest he jolt the invalid,
Here goes the bravest man of all his day, a
captive of horrible disease. AS the am
bulance winds through the streets of Da-
mascus the tears and prayers of all the
pCOplO ~ dltCI buC WOIIu-ICnOW ACu Inv a
lid. Perhaps you have had an invalid go
out from your house on a health excursion.
You know how the neighbors stood around
and said: 'Ah, he will never come back
again alive!n Oh, it was solemn moment,
/ tell you, when the invalid had departed,
and you went into the room to make the
bed and to remove the medicine walls from
the shelf, and to throw opeu the shutters
so that the fresh air might rush into the
long-closed room! Goodbye, Naaman!
There is only one cheerful face looking
at him, and that is the face of the little
Hebrew captive, who is sure he will get
cured, and who is so glad she helped him.
AS the chariot winds out and the escort of
mounted courtiers, and the mules, laden
with sacks of gold and silver and embroi-
dered suits OF apparel, went through the
gates of Damascus and out on the long way,
the hills of Naphtali and Ephraim look
down on the procession, and the retinue
goes right by the battle-felds where
Naaman, in the days of his health, used to
rally his troops for fearful onset; and then
the procession stops and reclines awhile in
the groves of olives and oleander, and Gen.
eral Naaman SO sick-so very, very sickl
How the countrymen gaped as the pro-
cession passed! They had seen Naaman go
past like whirlwind in the days gone by,
and had stood aghast at the clank of his war
equipments; but now they commisserate
him. They say: "Poor man, he will never
get home alive! Poor mani" General
Naaman wakes from restless sleep in the
chariot, and he says to the charioteer:
How long before we shall reach this
Prophet Elisha'sY' The charioteer says to
the waysider: show far is it to Elisha's
houses" He says: "Two miles" "Two
miles" Then they whip up the lathered
and fagged-out horses. They drive up to
the door of the prophet. The characters
shout: "Whoa!' to the horses, and the
tramping hoofs and grinding wheels cease
shaking the earth.
Come out, Elisha, come out you have
company; the grandest company that ever
came to your house. The fact was, the
Lord had informed Elisha that the sick
Captain was coming and just how to treat
him. Indeed, when you are sick and the
Lords wants you to get WELL He always
tells the doctor how to treat you; and the
reason we have so many bungling doctors
is because they depend upon their own
strength and instructions and not ON the
Lord God, and that always makes NAL
practice. Come out, Elisha, and attend to
your business. General Naaman and his
retinue waited, and waited, and waited
The fact was Naaman had two diseases
pride and leprosy; the one was as hard to
get rid of as the other. Elisha sits quietly
in his house and does not go out. After
awhile, when he thinks he has humbled
this proud man, he says to servant: &C Go
out and tell General Naaman to battle
seven times in the River Jordan, out yon-
der five miles, and he will get entirely
welln
The message comes out. 'tWhatr says
the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian
forces, his eye kindling with an animation
which it had not shown for weeks, and his
swollen foot stamping on the bottom of the
| chariot, regardless of pain: 'sWhat! Isn't
he coming out to see mea Why, thought
certainly he would come and utter some
cabalistic words over me, or make some
enigmatical passes over my wounds. Why,
don't think he knows who I am. Isn't he
coming outa Why, when the Shunammite
woman came to him he rushed out and
| cried: is it well with thees Is it well
| with thy husbandl Is it well with thy
| childs' And will he treat poor unknown
woman like that, and let me, titled
parsonage, sit here in my chariot and
| wait and waltz won't endure it any Ion.
ger Charioteer, drive on! Wash in the
Jordanl Ha! hal The Shiny Jordan-the
| muddy Jordan-the monotonous Jordan ]
wouldn't be seen washing in such river
| as that. Why, we watered our horses in a
| better river than that on our way here-the
beautiful river, the jasper-paved river OF
| Pharpar. Besides that, we have in our
country another Damascene river-Abana
with foliage bank and torrent ever
swift and ever clear, under the Pickering
shadows Of sycamore and oleander. Are
not ALBANIA and Pharpar, rivers of Damas-
Gus, better than all the waters of Israeli u
Isuppose Naaman felt very much as we
would feel if, by way medical prescription,
some one should tell us to go and wash in
the Danube or the Rhine We would an
swer: "Are not the Connecticut or the
Hudson just as goodf' Or, as an English
man would feel If he were told, by way OF
medical prescription, he must go and wash
in the Mississippi or st. Lawrence. He
would cry out: Are not the Thames and
the Shannon just as wellf"
The fact was that naughty Naaman need
ed to learn what every Englishman and
every American needs to learn-that when
God tells you to do a thing, you must &C
and do it, whether you understand the rear
son or not. One thing is certain, unless
| naughty Naaman does as Elisha commands
4 him ho will a h ell c;o